Master of Shadows
by Archangel of Dragons
Summary: A contract leads the Listener to a Thief under on the Ratway, but the contract itself is lots harder than he expected, principally when hunger set on and a certain red-haired make sure of things be even more complicated. MaleDB/Brynjolf, Slash. Spoilers for the whole game almost
1. Chapter 1

'**Ello, this is Archangel of Dragons and I, lover of slash and boy/boy romances, see Brynjolf lovers up and down with their female Dovahkiins, so HA! I came up with it! If you think the same, come closer and taste the power of yaoi! Joke, I don't think its that good but anyway…**

**Song for that? Try : Master of Shadows – Two Steps from Hell**

**Carnival of Rust - Poets of the Fall**

**Blacksmith – Loreena Mckennett**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, only won my own and what it's from others they own. Do not mix what I own from what others own and ownership of those who doesn't own either. XP**

As the Listener I had to kill, more than I already did, doesn't matter who was, how it should be done or where the victim was. I must kill, well, fast, undetected and often. As a Vampire it wasn't strange for me, I could kill someone easily, I loved to kill in my cold and dark way, so silent, so quiet, so deadly. That described me well. Name? Doesn't matter, Listener suit well, the Dark Brotherhood came as a bless and was everything that I needed, and was strange how in such few time I was their Listener, the highest position I could have.

I must kill wherever I was said to do, was the direct orders of the Night Mother, our Mistress that had chosen me between everybody else, and such honor I would never fail to keep and care to. I would make our Mother proud, as Lorde Sithis too. Tall, slender, but strong and fast, I made the fear inside of people grow as I wished, I was scary in my ancient shrouded Dark Brotherhood's light leather armor, always with a hood that made my eyes always harder to be seen, and almost impossible.

That was good and needed, people usually got scared when a dark man in a dark armor shows up with sharp fangs and red eyes, eyes that I didn't even remembered their original color, but now they had red iris that looked like a blood stain, but wasn't. I stopped Shadowmere in front gate of Riften, I liked Riften, full of cutthroats, and as Lucien said a couple of times, 'Ah, Riften, full of thieves. But when one took my purse in exchange took his eyes. A good exchange.'.

The ghost was the only companion that I had in my missions, and didn't dared have more than him, he could die but would back to me, he could be with me all my cursed years as Vampire. I like his talkfull way, while I was so silent, quiet, and sneaky as a fox. And was like that Nazir was calling me, by the nickname of 'Bloody Fox' or just Fox.

Maybe because I never told them my name, isn't because I didn't trusted them, but because I didn't liked my name, my birth name, it gave me awfull memories, I didn't wanted to use it. Fox and Listener suited well, was enough, I didn't needed use my original name, a lot of assassins did it, forgot about the past life and live juat for the Brotherhood.

Maven, I found Maven in the deeps of the city, close to a shrine of Talos, and I just got close without she noticing it, sneaking was my way of living, I didn't knew how to live in a different way.

"Maven Black-Briar." I called and she jumped, staring at me who was sitting in a fence, gaze in the woman that had the city in the hands, but I didn't feared her, either the city and who else the woman knew that could harm me, for me, she was just another woman that was asking for a petty and fancy murder.

"Don't scary me you fool, didn't your leader told you my importance?" She asked angrily and I hissed like a Khajiit, the sharp fangs appearing lightly between the two lips that had a little color of pink, beautiful and deadly.

"She is dead, I'm the new leader, and I don't choose favorites." I hissed, making the name Fox suit me well one more time. Thinking now, the name Fox suited me because of my swiftness, sneakness, silence, sharp features and a lot else.

"But... I did so many contracts before, your leader always..." She started but I didn't cared for it and interrupted her.

"I don't care, Astrid is with Sithis, suffering for her sins. Doesn't matter how many contracts you did before, what privileges you had before, for me you are just a woman with fancy murder to contract from me. So go on, target, conditions, place, money, oath of loyalty, goodbye." I said coldly, my voice was harsh and cold, scary at its way, and the woman's eyes widened a bit.

"A thief in the Ratway, I have a note with the details, name, everything else you need, read it all before killing him. 5000 for the contract, and I shall not say a word about you and I accept the conditions and terms of the contract." She said, the voice already a bit eager, but she really showed that she knew about the terms, she gave her word about the loyalty and the money in this contract was pretty good, The Dark Brotherhood would enjoy it.

"Anything else?" I asked and she gave some steps back, her confidence just flew out knowing that I wasn't a boot-licker like Astrid. Damn Astrid deserves every torture that Sithis put on her head, treacherous bitch.

"No." She said and I made a little smile, showing my sharp fangs. I didn't used to smile a lot, but some cold and bloddy ones I could do, I wasn't a good person, not at all.

"I will take my leave then." I said, before using my Invisibility Vampire's Spell and walking to far from there. I read the note, my target was called Cynric Endell, a Jailbreaker that had made a job to Maven, but when he came to get his recompense from the job with Maven he entered her house and stole some things, and that obliviously maddened her, it was an affront to her believable immunity. I didn't wanted to kill the thief, I liked people that showed anyone is unreachable, immune to anything. But it was the Mother's wish, so I would made it with honor and greatness.

I was the Dragonborn too, but after I killed that dragon in Kynesgrove that blonde woman called Delphine never saw me again. I didn't wanted to be this thing, I never used a Shout in my life, just in front of the Greybeards, and if I died now, surely another Dragonborn would appear after I'm gone. I won't be the hero of Skyrim, I didn't wanted this, and I was just waiting to someone force me to do it. I didn't knew a lot of things in Riften, I didn't visited the Rift very often, but in the city I had a friend, a personal spy located in the Inn of Riften, and he could gladly tell me something if I asked. We were friends a long time when I was a lonely Vampire that did some thievery to survive with my money, and some bandid stuff to survive the blood thirst.  
"Marcurio?" I asked, the mage raising his head with a big grin, the imperial always managed to make me ALMOST smile, just almost, but even if I tried I couldn't smile a true and sincere smile, I have lost that skill a lot of years ago.

"Man, where have you being? It's like ages that I don't see you!" The mage cried happily and I greeted him with a pat in the head, he knew about my Vampire blood, so he was one of the few friends that I had for 127 years, even if I looked just 26, my age was 127, and in this year would be the hundred birthday of vampirism, but it wasn't a thing to celebrate, even if the Vampirism have been a bless to me.

"You know, doing stuff. So, would you care of telling me some information in Riften? I need them." I said and the mage nodded, the Imperial's smile was contagious, but I was so cold and deep that didn't moved even a part of my stoic expression, cold as ice.

"Of course friend, lets pick a table." He said and I followed him to a table. He had two mugs of mead while I had just one goblet of wine, we had different tastes, but it didn't mattered. He said me what he knew about the thieves guild and the Jailbreaker Cynric Endell, but that was so few, I could barely use just this. I asked Marcurio if was possible to sneak into the base of the Thieves and he answered that was impossible, anyone really know where it was, just knew that was in the Ratway, and the only ones that know how to get into are the Thieves.

I was trapped, it looked that I couldn't invade it that easy, and to follow the Maven's instructions I had to kill the man inside the guild and at night. I got a room and slept deeply, but in the same time I could know if a feather flew in the room, I could sense it, I was sensible when sleeping, and the smallest sound could wake me up.

And the smallest sound really did it, because at the night, at 3am probably, the door of the room was lightly and silently opened, light steps came into the room, absurdly silent, but the intruder didn't knew that I was a Vampire. When the intruder closed the door, I was totally wake and ready to chop his/her face in tiny pieces.

**That's it for now ladies and gentleman! Review if you think that the price of the dollar is just too much.**


	2. Chapter 2

**There once as hero named Ragnar the Red, who came riding to Whiterun from Rorikstead, Archangel of Dragons is back, now 200% more awesome and back with the undying ship that is Brynjolf and this Listener! So, what you imaginary reader think of the first chapter? Too short? Yes, I know, I usually do this to first chapters, but now, scroll down and read!**

**Disclaimer: If I won The Elder Scrolls series I would make the Greybeards joinable, I would never fight on the civil war and fly on Odahviing's back in the sunset's direction under a phrygian sky were Secunda would make his scales shine and our Thu'um inspiring…**

When the man closed the door I threw one of my one-handed ebony axes at his side, and it got carved in the wooden door, just some centimeters from his ear. I was a warrior that used two ebony axes, crafted and perfected by Eorlund Greymane himself, after a favor that I did to him he accepted to make those blades perfects and legendary.

They were with me since I managed to survive Helgen and help Eorlund, not many time ago, and I mastered them since then. The thief moved in a jump and got two glass daggers, a fast warrior so? Great, I loved a challenge. In a supernaturally fast movement I kicked his hand and one dagger flew to the other side of the room, and with that I managed to catch my other axe and push the thief against the wall, his surviving dagger falling miserably on the floor and my axes against his throat.

His hood felt down with my fast movement, as my hood did too, so we were face to face. He was a red haired thief with strong features, like a player, a naturally mocker person, his eyes had a grass color, green like few leafs could be. An exotic guy, but it wouldn't save his hide.

"Thief." I hissed like the Fox I was, and he just made a fading smile, like if he played with death, and he really did. In the same second he got me off guard he jumped and got one of the daggers, and before I had one reaction he got my axes in the floor and one dagger in my throat, he was holding me tightly against the wall.

"Stranger." He said and I was a bit shocked, but my expression was the same, a bit angered but cold and hissing. I silently got my Blade of Woe and touched it in his belly, the Blade of Woe was sharpened by Eorlund GreyMane too, and his leather armor could not survive the dagger if I trusted it in the deeps of the thief's flesh. His throat was so close to me, this was a direct affront to my Vampire nature. I keep me feed before and after the killings, but even when I wasn't thirst the blood was temptation, always cruel and unbearable.

"Who are you?" I asked coldly, wishing that my hood was here to cover my eyes, but it wasn't, and his gaze was into my eyes, as mine's was in his. He was bigger, while I was slim and taller than him. My dark eyes fled from the bind that I usually made under the hood, and now the dark hair covered my shoulders, a great mess of completely dark lines, as my long eyelids were, and my eyebrows to. All this together with a pale skin and the great and powerful red eyes.

"Well, you are the stranger in my city, tell me you." He hissed and I cut his armor, letting him know that my dagger was at his back, ready to enter his back and invade his heart from back.

"I am someone that you shouldn't mess with. Now you, thief." I hissed, my deep voice sounding without trembles or flaws, deep and ancient, powerful and serious, a voice that I loved to have, one that the time and the experience gave me, and it fitted so well myself. Was strange how the thief was close, I felt his breath hitting my chin, I felt the smell of his blood, his neck, my lust for blood was hard to resist at this distance, but I was a controlled Vampire, I wouldn't bite him if I didn't wanted.

"Ha, I don't fear foreigners, not even the dark ones like you. I'm the manager of this hold, call me Brynjorf, the Master Thief of The Thieves Guild." He said and my mind started to run, he was the one that ruled where I needed to go, maybe I could follow him now knowing who he was. No, if Marcurio was right I couldn't pass through them with that easy, following wasn't an option. My mind was fast and thought in a different way, and if I join them? This was the leader, he probably got initiates himself, maybe if I managed to look a good thief I could gladly enter and kill the man, before magically appearing. Good plan, but how?

"Master Thief." I repeated, tasting de words in my tongue, nasty, but cool. "You have chosen the worst person you could choose to rob." I said, hissing like a purr, a hiss, a purr that didn't knew really, but it looked a mix of them both. The thief smiled a bit, but his dagger was still tight in my throat, as mine's was in his back, already cutting the leather, the Blade of Woe was touching his skin as his was kissing my throat lightly, almost gently, but in a second it turned to me harder than was before, I did the same with the dagger in his back, but it didn't stopped him.

"I do my thievery in who I want to." He hissed and that feed my anger so much that I thought I was going to take his throat out with a single bite. I showed my fangs and my eyes shined as blood in the moon, letting a bit oblivious that I was a vampire.

"You can turn around, grab your daggers and go away to your nest, and I shall let you alive and untouched, what you think?" I purred deeply, the sweet mist that blood did even under the skin was driving me crazy, and before I could hold myself I touched his neck with the point of my nose, the desire was letting me blind.

"What are you lad...?" He asked, flinching with my reaction, I wouldn't oblige if he fainted, I was so hungry today, he made me so thirsty with this closeness.

"Go away." I mumbled, my fangs touching his skin lightly, my lips almost kissing the skin. This dagger wasn't in my throat anymore, as mine's wasn't in his back anymore too. He was with his two hands against my collarbone, while I managed to held his waist with my arms. I didn't liked go close to people because of this, I feared attacking them, innocent people shouldn't know my curse, as suffer from it. Wounded me deeply see people that didn't needed to die suffer from my bite.

"Vampire...?" He asked and I thought sincerely he was an idiot, I had my fangs in his neck and he didn't noticed before I was a vampire? Seriously. I nodded lightly with my head, I was about to bite him when I controlled myself and walked back, letting him go out of me, and he fell on the floor, I was supporting his weight in my arms, and when I let him go he fell, his face was in shock, in deep shock, he was blushing, almost in the color of his hair. I didn't knew what to do, I had my fangs totally out, my eyes shined with the power, my mouth felt dry now.

"Grab your things and go away." I said, before doing my Invisibility Spell and going silently and invisible to the corner of the room, watching him catching his daggers and run like hell to out of the room, letting me with a mouth dry and trembling hands.

What in the hell happened? I asked myself. Gods didn't gave me any rest, the thief came silently through the door, but he didn't had time to get something, we involved ourselves in or strange dance, once me in his throat with my axes, other times him with his glass daggers. Brynjolf, his name was Brynjolf. I asked myself if the thief was doing this by order or was just because I was new blood in the hold.

I trembled, the thirst was hard to contain, but I gladly didn't bite him, he managed to pass intact from me. I closed the door and put the Blade of Woe in its cover, the two axes were crossed against my chest, I kind of liked sleeping like this, like a Draugr you can think, but is needed to remember that Vampires sleep normally in coffins, so cross the arms like that wasn't strange to us. But I never had a coffin myself.

I couldn't sleep, the lucky thief, Brynjolf, he knew about me, and shut he wouldn't stay, he could come back and try to kill me with some help, he could ask for help to kill me, he could send people and guards to me, I feared for myself, as I feared for the Thief's sanity, he wouldn't be happy and soft after meeting a Vampire, I knew that was uncomfortable, meeting a vampire and being almost midnight snack. I wish I could give him a fast death so he wouldn't suffer from the memory, or fear for the rest of the life a vampire.

Maybe I was being just over-caring with a guy who I meet in some minutes before and he had almost stole me while I was sleeping, I wasn't a merciful person and didn't showed any affection for the thief, but I couldn't ignore it to, I was a thief when I was with some bandits, I broke up into people's houses and stores, I did the craziest stuff to rob them and go away freely, and with that I kind of identified myself with the thief, we both were masters of the shadow, but while he got stuff I got lives. I couldn't sleep anymore, as I couldn't stay here anymore.

I got my things and walked downstairs, my thoughts were running fast in my head, and in the Inn I searched for the thief, but gladly I found no sign of him, just Keraava who was sweeping the floor of the Inn.

"Sire, is something wrong?" She asked, in her hand I saw the ring that I helped her husband to make, three flawless amethysts that I got in my adventures, and them I gave to the Argonian to make for the woman of his dreams. If they could have happy lives, why not help? I was jealous of people that could have a normal life, I knew that a mage in Morthal could undo the Vampirism, but I didn't wanted to undo it, I wished it hadn't happened at all, but now I didn't knew how to live without this curse.

Outside the rain was roaring heavily, wouldn't be intelligent to flee from the city like this, but I didn't had options, the red haired thief was surely going to hunt me down, or himself or someone else.

"I'm going home, send Marcurio a bye in my name, would you?" I asked and the Argonian stared at me like if I was a madman.

"In this weather? At this time of morning?" She asked, the broom she had on her hands was fast put aside. I set the hood in my head, it was good when the rain came, it would protect me from the heavy rain, but I knew that for some time it would be so watered that would be even heavy.

"Yes." I said, definitely talking wasn't my greatest ability, even if my voice was deep and pleasant to listen, ancient and a bit antique, that added with my tall, strong and stealth frame looked so much as a nobleman's, I made people fear me, I could do anything to anyone.

"That's madness, look outside, the rain is falling heavily, you are going to get yourself sick." She said, her hands in her waist. I settled the weapons in their covers, just waiting to be sheathed and taste one more time blood, just like me.

"Thanks anyway Keraava." I answered, before taking the front door and getting out the faster that I could, so the rain wouldn't water the inside of the Inn. The rain hit me without mercy, I didn't knew that was this bad, or that cold. As a vampire the cold wouldn't let me sick or kill me, but I still could feel it, and this coldness definitely was hurting. Heavy rain, wind, I could almost feel the ice shards send from over the mountains where already was winter, from where every day is winter, from Atmora.

Yeah, I could feel them. I covered my head even more with the hood and walked curved for the small corridor in the left of the city if you coming from the Ratway, the corridor would take me to the gates and them I would go to Shadowmere, and after that anyone could reach me, the immortal stallion would send me to any place in Skyrim in the fastest way possible, and anything could stop the dark horse.

"Are you crazy man? Where are you going?" A guard asked when I firstly touched the gate, he was in the corner of the wall, he didn't liked the rain as I did, obliviously.

A whisper called me, I knew that was a whisper that wouldn't be listen by normal ears. I firstly thought that was a God whispering to me, but no. I bolted my head to the left, and in the darkness something shined, catching my attention, and my eyes so ready for the night were able to see what was making this clarity. A glass dagger that reflected the light of the moon.

"Forget it, wrong way." I said lowly, before walking lowly to the fence in left from who is coming from the Inn. The guard rolled his eyes and returned to his corner, and when he didn't saw me anymore I jumped the fence and got my axes, this wasn't intelligent at all, a smart vampire would go out and never come back, but I knew who was the owner of the glass dagger, and my curiosity wouldn't let me sleep if I didn't went there.

"Where are you going?" He asked at my right, in the corner of the wall, he sheathed the dagger and came closer, but my axe fast as the wind touched his chest, and he stopped.

"It doesn't concern you." I hissed back. My deep voice was lonely in the heavy rain, the rain made all the sounds be a little lower and voices harder to be recognizable.

"I-I need to apologize, before you go, sorry for the unconventional incident, for making you reveal yourself, please, don't leave in this rain, isn't healthy even if you are immune to diseases or something like that." He said and I sheathed too. What the fuck was he saying? I meant, what?! I was a damned immortal bloodlusted beast and he was apologizing? This guy was nuts? I once listened that thieves sometimes drink too much, was his case? No, he didn't smelt like mead, but leather, iron, gold and something more exotic, maybe almiscar, hard to say. And rain of course, now everything smelt like rain.

"Where you want to arrive?" I asked coldly and he crossed his arms, nervously, and that was comprehensible, he was dealing with me.

"Can we go out of the rain?" He asked, but even before I answered he got me by the wrist and dragged me to the city, I tried to stop it but he looked nervous, unconfident, I didn't believed that he would do any harm, so I let him drag me to under the city, and them the Ratway.

He entered the Ratway and he sighed, breathing from the run that he made, but I knew that he had much more stamina than he looked have. Now in the safety from the rain, I stared at him with my arms crossed, and didn't lasted much to him move his gaze from my feet to my head, revising everything like the thief he was.

"Talk." I said and he nodded, but his eyes held a bit of fun, like if he liked running in the city like a child. To me he was a child, foolish and stupid red-haired child that when bored got things in other's pockets.

"I want to propose a thing to you, as my way to apologize. Do a thing to me, just to prove what you can do to my people, and I can get to you a place with the Guild. What do you think? Being a thief is good stuff, it gives you a lot of privileges." He asked and I furrowed my eyebrows, he was sure of that? I mean, he was throwing a fox, a bloody fox into his nest of rats, he knew that I had hunger for blood, and he still didn't cared?

"You are throwing the Fox into the Rat's nest you know..." I said, more a whisper than a talking itself, I believe anyone had accepted what I were in this way, so easily, just the Brotherhood did it. It wouldn't get in my way, I was going to slaughter the Jailbreaker and even if possible feast on him, I wasn't hearted enough to stop a killing just because of some mercy that them showed to me.

"Yeah, but they don't need to know, and if you don't do anything bad and show worthy it's alright." He said and I raised my nose a bid more, my high cheekbones and royal appearance making me look like a God of Death, and I had killed so many people that I was exactly that, an dark demon to take people's life and breath.

"What I need to do?" I said and his smile went wide, a big smile that could be of a Vampire like me, I had white and sharp tooth, and he looked so close of it that I almost got him by the neck and asked how many centuries he had. A beautiful smile, that was needed to admit.  
"It's a yes? Oh Gods, what am I saying, of course it is. Ok lad, the stuff you need to do is this one..." He started and I listened carefully, I was the Listener after all, it was what I did, listen, and the talking wasn't my biggest ability, but when I did it I knew how to make people hear. In some minutes I was leaving the Ratway, Riften still suffering from the rain, but it wasn't a big problem at all. I didn't cared though, I needed to enter the Guild.

**Here it is! I know, right now it sucks, but it will get better, I swear. So, how many Namira champions are reading this? This will be the first fanfic I have ever seen with a cannibal, so if you know another one, please tell me, I find the lack of cannibals disturbing.**

**Review for the Great Lord Sithis and our sweeeeeeeeeet Night Mother!**


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